A Game of Thrones: Chapters 25–36

by George R.R. Martin
Lord Ned Stark is summoned to serve as an advisor to the King of Westeros, setting in motion a sweeping saga of courtly intrigue, military battle, and fire-breathing dragons.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue–Chapter 12, Chapters 13–24, Chapters 25–36, Chapters 37–48, Chapters 49–60, Chapters 61–72

Here are links to our lists for other volumes in A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin: A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Dance with Dragons
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. ponderous
    labored and dull
    "I fear you would find it of little interest," Pycelle said. "It was a ponderous tome by Grand Maester Malleon on the lineages of the great houses."
    "Ponderous" also means "having great mass and weight and unwieldiness"--while the chosen definition fits better because of the first part of Pycelle's response, the second definition also fits, because a tome is "a large and scholarly book."
  2. derange
    throw out of mental balance; make insane
    If an old man may be forgiven his blunt speech, let me say that grief can derange even the strongest and most disciplined of minds, and the Lady Lysa was never that.
  3. retinue
    the group following and attending to some important person
    Lord Tywin had brought a retinue to the city for the tourney on Prince Joffrey's name day, no doubt hoping to see his son Jaime win the champion's crown.
  4. craven
    an abject coward
    "Nobody likes cravens," he said uncomfortably. "I wish we hadn't helped him. What if they think we're craven too?"
    "Craven" can be a noun and an adjective, and the word is used in both ways in this example sentence about Grenn's fears of how their saving a coward who'd yielded to avoid further bloody beatings could make them seem cowardly by association.
  5. robust
    sturdy and strong in form, constitution, or construction
    From that day, Lord Randyll ignored Sam, devoting all his time to the younger boy, a fierce, robust child more to his liking.
  6. irksome
    tedious or irritating
    As if the expense and trouble were not irksome enough, all and sundry insisted on salting Ned's wound by calling it "the Hand's tourney," as if he were the cause of it.
    Compare with "tedious" in the list for the Prologue-Chapter 12--the adjectives are synonymous, but they describe characters who are opposite in nature: Robert thinks the duties of being a king are tedious, while Ned thinks that being associated with fun that the kingdom cannot afford is irksome.
  7. respite
    a relief from harm or discomfort
    "They bring the great the chance of glory, and the lowly a respite from their woes."
  8. ribald
    humorously vulgar
    Robert's lusts were the subject of ribald drinking songs throughout the realm, but Stannis was a different sort of man, a bare year younger than the king, yet utterly unlike him, stern, humorless, unforgiving, grim in his sense of duty.
  9. irascible
    quickly aroused to anger
    Catelyn knew them all: the Blackwoods and the Brackens, ever enemies, whose quarrels her father was obliged to settle; Lady Whent, last of her line, who dwelt with her ghosts in the cavernous vaults of Harrenhal; irascible Lord Frey, who had outlived seven wives and filled his twin castles with children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and bastards and grandbastards as well.
  10. composure
    steadiness of mind under stress
    A great lady knew how to behave at tournaments. Even Septa Mordane noted her composure and nodded in approval.
  11. immense
    unusually great in size or amount or extent or scope
    Sandor Clegane and his immense brother, Ser Gregor the Mountain, seemed unstoppable as well, riding down one foe after the next in ferocious style.
    Compare with "colossal" in the list for Chapters 13-24--the definitions are nearly identical but what's missing here is the emotion of awe, which is fitting, since the adjective "immense" describes Gregor Clegane, who might be as big and strong as a mountain, but is so brutal and dishonorable that he does not deserve the same awe that is given to the Wall that was built to protect.
  12. withstand
    resist or confront with resistance
    "No one could withstand him," she managed at last, proud of herself.
  13. fervent
    characterized by intense emotion
    When the Knight of Flowers made his entrance, a murmur ran through the crowd, and he heard Sansa's fervent whisper, "Oh, he's so beautiful.”
  14. rudiment
    the elementary stage of any subject
    Any decent master-at-arms could give Arya the rudiments of slash-and-parry without this nonsense of blindfolds, cartwheels, and hopping about on one leg, but he knew his youngest daughter well enough to know there was no arguing with that stubborn jut of jaw.
  15. puissant
    powerful
    A most puissant warrior is our Robert, and such a manly man has little love for sneaks and spies and eunuchs.
  16. forestall
    deal with ahead of time
    "Indeed they will," said Varys, "and sooner rather than later, I do fear. You are making them most anxious, Lord Eddard. But my little birds will be listening, and together we may be able to forestall them, you and I."
  17. unsavory
    morally offensive
    A good dozen swords had responded to the Stark woman's plea for help: the Harrenhal man, the three Brackens, a pair of unsavory sellswords who looked as though they'd kill him as soon as spit, and some fool field hands who doubtless had no idea what they were doing.
  18. succor
    assistance in time of difficulty
    Force them to make a public affirmation of the oaths sworn her father by the lords they served, and then call on them for succor, and her a woman, yes, that was sweet.
  19. cunning
    shrewdness as demonstrated by being skilled in deception
    All his life Tyrion had prided himself on his cunning, the only gift the gods had seen fit to give him, and yet this seven-times-damned she-wolf Catelyn Stark had outwitted him at every turn.
  20. staunch
    firm and dependable especially in loyalty
    "If you wanted me dead, you had only to say the word, and one of these staunch friends of yours would gladly have given me a red smile."
  21. brandish
    exhibit aggressively
    Tyrion felt a sudden urge to leap up, brandish his axe, and boom out, "Casterly Rock!" but the insanity passed quickly and he crouched down lower.
  22. vanquish
    defeat in a competition, race, or conflict
    The enemy were all vanquished or vanished.
  23. elude
    escape, either physically or mentally
    At first even the cook's huge fat kitchen cat had been able to elude her, but Syrio had kept her at it day and night.
  24. tractable
    easily managed
    The girl is a maid of fourteen, sweet and beautiful and tractable, and Lord Renly and Ser Loras intend that Robert should bed her, wed her, and make a new queen.
  25. glower
    look angry or sullen as if to signal disapproval
    The king took a swallow of wine and glowered at Ned across the council table.
  26. unctuous
    unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating
    Varys gave the king an unctuous smile and laid a soft hand on Ned's sleeve.
  27. mordant
    harshly ironic or sinister
    The dwarf had been whetting the edge of his axe and making some mordant jest when Bronn spotted the banner the riders carried before them, the moon-and-falcon of House Arryn, sky-blue and white.
    The novel does not give the actual words of the mordant jest Tyrion had made. Because Tyrion was sharpening an axe at the time, he could have been joking about killing, which makes it sinister; because Tyrion is new to killing, the joke could have been an ironic comment about his abilities. The author George R.R. Martin could have been alluding to another dwarf with an axe on a mountain (Thorin in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit).
  28. chagrin
    cause to feel shame
    "Would that I were a pumpkin," he said. "Alas, my lord father would no doubt be most chagrined if his son of Lannister went to his fate like a load of turnips.
  29. avarice
    reprehensible acquisitiveness; insatiable desire for wealth
    "My father is the soul of avarice, and my sweet sister Cersei lusts for power with every waking breath. I, however, am innocent as a little lamb. Shall I bleat for you?"
  30. restive
    in a very tense state
    The realm grows restive. Varys has heard ominous whispers from the west.
Created on Tue Dec 10 14:58:32 EST 2013 (updated Mon Oct 01 17:01:06 EDT 2018)

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